Jaela Daran Fan Club

Elf

There are four types of Elves by physical comparison, and four by cultural:

The four types by physical comparison are:

Wood Elves

High Elves (Eladrin)

Dark Elves (Drow), and

Sylvan Elves

The four types by culture are:

Aerenal Elves

Xen’drik Drow

Khorvaire Elves, and

Valenar Elves

Elven Types

Wood Elves

Most elves are this type of elf. They tend to be agile, lithe, and graceful, shorter than your average human, with long lifetimes. Elven age is apparent only in speech and manner. Elves grow physically as fast as humans do, though they reach their final form at about 25. Elves tend to mature slowly, the accepted mature age being around 110, with many elves breaking the norm. Elves under 100 are urged not to make life-changing decisions, such as marriage.

High Elves (Eladrin)

A few elves still retain their fey-touched bloodline. Though of the same physical height and prowess as wood elves, these elves tend to be more prone to magic, because of their connection to the Feywild. Eladrin can be told apart from normal elves, because their eyes shift color. Many highborne elves from Valenar may be classified as Eladrin. Recently, however, on the Day of Mourning, seven Eladrin cities, called Feyspires, were severed from the feywild and forced into Eberron.

Pylas Pyrial, the Gate of Joy, is in Zilargo.

Shae Joridal, the City of Emerald Lights, is in Darguun, where the goblins keep it under siege.

Shae Loralyndar, the City of Rose and Thorn, is in the Twilight Demesne of the Eldeen Reaches.

Shae Tirias Tolai, the City of Silver and Bone, is in Xen’drik; this haunted ruin has stood empty since it was pillaged during the Age of Giants.

Shaelas Tiraleth, the Court of the Silver Tree, traditionally appeared in Cyre but has not been seen since the Day of Mourning. It was the largest of the feyspires.

Taer Lian Doresh, the Fortress of Fading Dreams, is in the Lhazaar Principalities.

Taer Syraen, the Winter Citadel, is in Karrnath.

Dark Elves (Drow)

Dark skinned elves from the jungles of Xendrik. Their skin ranges from ice blue, an oil black, to a chocolate complexion. The more a Drow family lives on the surface, the lighter their skin becomes. Only a single generation is required for a drow’s skin to brown from black.

Sylvan Elves

Sylvan elves are tall, physically superior elves, sometimes towering over humans. According to lore, these elves are blessed by powerful forest spirits, and become bastions of strength for the Elven community. Sylvan elves can be of any physical Elven subtype, but are most often Eladrin. Sylvan elves are rare in elven settlements, and almost unheard of in human ones.

Elven Cultures

Aeranal Elves

Elves have lived on continent of Aeranal for over 26-thousand years. They revere the dead and are ruled by a power group called the Undying Court, elves that have transcended life, empowered by their good-aligned spirits.

Xen’drik Drow

Xen’drik drow worship the scorpion-god known as Vulkoor. They revere scorpions, and fight giants alongside monstrous scorpions, considering other arachnids to be lesser servitors of Vulkkoor. Xen’drik drow ritually scar themselves using the venom of scorpions, which leaves white tattoos on their dark skin. The deepest and largest drow settlements are underground, due to the dangers of the aboveground.

The drow language is a dialect of Giant. Typical Elven has been separate from this race for much too long, and the dark elves’ slavery to the giants has taken its toll.

A drow’s family is its most important loyalty and guarded secret. Sharing a family name is a sign of trust and friendship or the sign of submission to a more powerful individual.

There is no word in drow for mercy.

Drow have great desires for personal power coupled with harsh life in their homeland, fighting off giants, and the monstrosities of Khyber. A Drow’s abilities are greatly valued in an adventuring party.

Khorvaire Elves

Khorvaire elves tend to identify with their national identity than their racial identity, or from their dragonmarked house, if it applies.

Valenar Elves

Originally mercenaries from Aeranal and Xen’drik, the elves of Valenar are expert warriors and peerless dragoons. 45 Warclans make up the military force of Valenar, and each leader is recognized as a prince. Many princes are of actual royal blood, and several of them are also tall, regal, Sylvan elves.

Valenar elves are paragons of battle and honor. They see adventuring as necessary and a glorious part of the warrior tradition. The scimitar is the ancient weapon of Aereni ancestry.

Named Families

Several Elven families have already been named in Eberron, concerning the Wyrmslayer series.

Northstar

Family Name: Kisin’ruaann
Meaning: The tireless killers who hunt during the night, by the Northern Star
Size: Under 20 Purebloods, 700+ clan
Story: A once powerful Valenar warband that fell out of favor after a failed coup de’tat circa 1006 YK. Remaining purebloods are dispersed throughout Khorvaire, but the family as a whole can no longer collect, honorably. With the rise of Arkhosia, the Northstar clan grew to the several hundreds, gathering ronin Aereni, weaker Valenar warlords, and loyal khoravar.
Ancestry: Their ancestors were known to be honorbound to their duty to be strong and peerless in all aspects.

Southstar

Family Name: Avin’ruaarn
Meaning: Those who make blood and fire fall from the sky, by the Southern Star
Size: 300+
Story: An esoteric Valenar family known mostly for its powerful arcane mage knights, but also birthing peerless martial warriors. The family includes some Khoravar (half-elves) and other elven mixes. Many ronin elves that wandered Aeranal and Khorvaire have answered the call of the latest patriarch, Aenaeas, son of Pontius. Previously functioning merely as mercenary attachments numbering 1-20, the Southstar army now marches with at least 300 pureblooded warriors.
Ancestry: Merciless and unforgiving. Cold to their allies, and giving no quarter to their enemies.

Firstlight

Family Name: Visael’sorinis
Meaning: Remembrance of the first waking moment, when the dawn came into existence
Size: ~30, all Eladrin
Story: A fairly well known Valenar family. Several of this family have integrated into Khorvarian society. Nothing as of recent has been important enough to call the family together, as a whole.
Ancestry: Seers and oracles. Blood is strong in divine magic. Most powerful seers were betrothed to their retainers as one of their consorts.

Darkmoon

Family Name: Raphavel’phiarlan
Meaning: When the moon is seen, so is his sword, the spirit walker
Size: 200+
Story: Big enough to be its own warband. The Darkmoon house is a cousin of the Phiarlan house, and counts Xen’drik drow and Khoravar (half-elves) among its members. Darkmoon and Southstar warriors train together. Furthermore, the princes of the Darkmoon house are often sent as honorary retainers to powerful seers of the Firstlight house. A large amount of Darkmoon elves are sylph-blessed, and boast musculature and height surpassing even humans.
Ancestors: Protectors of lesser houses. Synergy with allies, and making up for their weaknesses with physical prowess. Blood duty to defend elven divine casters.

Atrum

Family Name: Ansrandre’phiarlan
Meaning: The spirit walker who creates runes of magic in a way that is almost as enchanting as his magic
Size: Unknown
Story: A Khorvarian family, loyal to the Phiarlan house.
Ancestry: Political maneuvering to further both the family goals and that of their chosen cause.

Highblade

Family Name: Aelteil’ruil
Meaning: The sword only worthy for the purest noble blood
Size: Under 50 purebloods, unknown amount of Khoravar, rumored to be in the hundreds
Story: A Xen’drik family, proud and arrogant. No more than two Highblades are ever in any one Warband, promoting their family’s ancestry. Highblades specialize in complementing and supporting their allies as peerless swashbucklers, illusionists, and diplomats.
Ancestry: Extreme heroics, unmatched beauty, undeniable political power, and the ability to seduce women of all races.

Chillwind

Family Name: Vonelysaer’Naiaern
Meaning: The Song of Precious Stones and the Icy Winter Breeze
Size: 200
Story: A family from the winter citadel, Tyr Syraen

Ghostrider

Family Name: Ilsolaza’eanali
Meaning: The memories of the shadow mists live on as long as they ride
Size: 400
Story: A Valenar clan that practices reverence of the shadows and practitioners of dark magic. They are known for riding ghostly horses emerging and withdrawing with the morning fog, and for brandishing unholy flames and chain weapons.
Ancestry: Powerful mage-knights and leaders of battle